Mayor Nutter, 50 other mayors support Comcast purchase plan

Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter has organized a diverse national group of 51 mayors who support Comcast's proposed $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable, saying the deal would lead to significant economic benefits in the communities, including jobs.

The letter was sent to the Federal Communications Commission. Support from its hometown mayor could be a political boost in Washington for Comcast's efforts to acquire Time Warner Cable. The deal faces tough regulatory scrutiny. In Pennsylvania, the mayors of Bensalem, Media, Lancaster, and York support the deal. The New Jersey mayors of Camden, Bridgeton, Lambertville, and Trenton also signed on. Mayors outside the region who joined Nutter include those in Orlando; Columbia (SC); Stafford (TX); Attleboro (MA); Denver; and Anaheim. Absent were the mayors of New York City and Los Angeles, two cities that could be most affected by a Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger. Both of those TV markets are served by Time Warner Cable. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti this week asked the FCC to extend the deadline for the public comment period.